Level 6 Compose Yourself!: The Art of Composing for Games

Learning Outcomes

Identify differences between linear and non-linear music composition
Examine the use of loops, branching, and transitions
Recognize the factors involved in non-linear scoring
Understand vertical and horizontal musical concepts

Challenges in Music Creation for Media

Music composition varies across mediums
Unique challenges in theater, film, television, and games
Specific issues faced by game composers
Solutions and strategies for effective game music composition

Composers approach music differently when writing freely versus composing for theater, film, television, or games, each with distinct aesthetic principles and production requirements.
Game music faces unique hurdles: interactive gameplay demands music that adapts to unpredictable player actions and indefinite play sessions.
Composers must craft engaging pieces that remain fresh and non-repetitive, even if players linger in one area for hours.
Effective solutions include modular music systems that reassemble themes dynamically, adaptive layering that responds to player choices, and algorithmic variations to prevent looping fatigue.
Example: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild uses subtle instrumentation changes as players explore new regions, while Celeste layers intensity to mirror player progress.

Evolution of Video Game Music Composition

Origins and challenges in early video game music
Transition to digital music generation in the gaming industry
Development and constraints of early game music technology
Technological advancements and their impact on game music composition

Early games like Pong (1972) and Space Invaders (1978) emerged when audio-recording technology was primitive, prompting developers to create music via tone generators and basic chips.
Composers pioneered looping and minimalistic melodies to fit severe memory constraints, shaping techniques still used today.
The 1980s saw chips like the NES’s Ricoh 2A03 enable multi-channel chiptunes, spawning classics like Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. theme.
By the 1990s, tools such as General MIDI expanded possibilities with polyphonic, orchestral textures, though PCM sampling limits kept most music synthesized and hardware-dependent.
Example milestones include Tetris (1984) with its endlessly looping Korobeiniki motif and Final Fantasy VI (1994), which achieved sweeping orchestral arrangements within strict memory budgets.

Modern Game Music Composition

Role and skill set of contemporary game-music composers
Technological advancements shaping game music
Team structures and specialization in music production for games
Versatility and challenges in current game music composition

Impact of Music in Video Games

Setting the mood and tone
Defining time and place
Distinguishing locations and settings
Character identification through music
Influencing gameplay pace
Enhancing player immersion

Music is pivotal in establishing the emotional ambiance of a game, from a memorable title theme to mood-specific background scores, fostering a deeper player connection to the game world.
Soundtracks provide auditory cues for temporal and spatial context, transporting players to diverse settings such as medieval realms or futuristic galaxies, complementing visual elements like costumes and scenery.
Just as visuals delineate different locations, music acts as an aural backdrop, distinguishing spaces—whether a tranquil forest (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild source) or a bustling cityscape (Grand Theft Auto V source).
Character themes, akin to opera leitmotifs, inform players about character presence and narrative developments. Examples include Sephiroth’s “One-Winged Angel” in Final Fantasy VII (source) and the distinct motifs for each companion in Hades (source).
Tempo and rhythm guide gameplay pace, heightening tension during combat (e.g., adaptive battle music in Celeste source) or providing calm during exploration sequences.
Overall, music enriches immersion by reinforcing emotional resonance and enhancing the player’s investment in the game world.

Journey (2012)

The music in the game “Journey” (2012) achieves several important functions:

Setting the mood and overall tone of the game: The soundtrack of “Journey” is designed to be both background and foreground music, amplifying the player’s emotions at certain cues and providing a delicate, emotional backdrop throughout the game[1].
Identifying time and place within the game: The music helps in identifying the different stages of the journey and the emotions associated with them, such as loneliness, hope, despair, guilt, innocence, and joy[3].
Identifying locations and settings in the game: The music is carefully crafted to transport players into different environments, reflecting the game’s setting and the cultures within it[5].
Identifying characters within the game: While the music may not directly identify specific characters, it enhances the emotional connection with the journeyer and reflects the emotional states experienced throughout the game[1][3].

The soundtrack of “Journey” is known for its ability to create an emotional connection with the players and enhance their overall gaming experience.

Citations: [1] https://thehardmodes.com/journalism/2012/04/10/vgm5_journey [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOmx4ePpuRM [3] https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Austin-Wintory/dp/B008DCOVP2 [4] https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/qtyrcl/i_played_journey_and_well_everything_people_said/?rdt=41973 [5] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/soundtrack-gaming-how-music-sets-mood-brazy-gg

Game Music Form and Structure

Cinematic
- Music underscores cutscenes, intros, and other story-driven sequences, heightening emotional impact and narrative flow.
Interactive Gameplay
- Looping: a continuous repetition of material that supports long gameplay segments without fatigue (e.g., exploration themes in Minecraft).
- Branching: conditional transitions triggered by player actions or game states (e.g., battle-to-victory shifts in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild).
- Layered/Stem Mixing: dynamic addition or removal of instrument layers to match intensity (e.g., combat music in Hades).

Horizontal vs vertical re-orchestration

See examples here

Vertical Remixing – Layering

Definition and Purpose Vertical remixing is an adaptive music technique where a soundtrack is split into separate stems—such as percussion, melody, ambient textures, or harmonic layers—that can be added or removed in real time. This allows the music to respond instantly and seamlessly to gameplay events without an abrupt cue change.
Benefits for Gameplay Because only layers change, the player hears a continuous musical flow that deepens immersion and reinforces the emotional stakes of moment-to-moment gameplay. For example, a stealth sequence might begin with just sparse ambience, then add rhythmic layers as tension escalates.
Challenges and Limitations Designers must carefully manage potential disruptions to musical phrasing and avoid transitions that feel like abrupt volume fades. Vertical remixing also offers limited control over tempo or key changes, which can reduce dramatic variation.
Practical Applications This approach excels during frequent, brief state changes—like sudden combat encounters in open-world games or puzzle-solving sequences—where subtle dynamic shifts can signal progress or danger without overwhelming the player. Examples include the layered combat music of Hades, the dynamic battle stems in Halo, and exploration-to-combat transitions in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Horizontal Re-sequencing

Concept of Horizontal Re-sequencing
Techniques within Horizontal Re-sequencing
Implementation in Video Games

Definition Horizontal Re-sequencing is a dynamic, adaptive composition method where pre-composed music segments (or “cues”) are arranged like a flexible playlist. Segments can be triggered, skipped, or reordered based on player actions, creating a score that responds in real time.
Techniques Methods include simple cross-fading between cues, modular “block” composition, and bridge or transition stingers that smoothly connect contrasting sections.
Game Applications Designers often set multiple start and end points in each cue, enabling seamless jumps and narrative pacing. Examples:
- Journey uses horizontal re-sequencing to follow the player’s physical and emotional journey with fluid transitions.
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword triggers short transition phrases when players enter battle or solve puzzles, ensuring smooth progression.

Cross-fading

Phrase Branching

Musical Demarcation Branching

Killer Instinct Music

Bridge Transition

Definition Bridge transitions use a short, purpose-written musical passage to connect two otherwise unrelated musical segments, creating a smoother, more intentional shift than a simple cross-fade.
Benefits The bridge can modulate tempo, harmony, or texture, letting the next cue enter naturally even if it differs drastically in style or key. This is especially valuable when moving between exploration and high-intensity action.
Challenges If overused or poorly varied, bridges can feel repetitive and may slightly delay the next cue while the bridge plays. Long or predictable bridges can break immersion if players recognize them as a “loading sound.”
Examples
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword employs short fanfares as bridges into boss-battle themes.
- Halo 3 uses orchestral stingers to link ambient exploration music with sudden combat cues.
- Killer Instinct (2013) combines bridge transitions with phrase and demarcation branching to move between fight states smoothly.
Best Use Ideal for punctuating key game events—boss entrances, narrative revelations, or scene changes—while preserving musical flow. For frequent subtle changes, vertical remixing often offers a more continuous alternative.

Stinger-Based Sequencing

Stinger-Based Sequencing uses short, distinct musical “stingers” triggered by specific game events (e.g. a kill, a level up, entering a boss fight), often separated by silence or minimal ambient binding cues for impact. It’s effective for sharp auditory punctuation.
This method allows rapid and clear feedback: a player does something important → cue plays instantly. Because stingers are designed to be discrete, they can connect very different musical cues (differing tempo, instrumentation) without needing a shared rhythmic backing.
Downsides: frequent stingers can fragment the musical texture, especially if the ambient or background score is minimal or absent during transitions. Without careful design, it can feel like too many “sound effects” rather than musical flow. Sometimes overuse leads to a sense of disjointedness or making musical moments feel less ‘earned’.
Best used in heavily scripted sequences or games with discrete, important event markers: e.g. boss introductions, environmental reveals, dialogue-milestones, UI feedback, or combat triggers. Less suited for continuous, ambient exploration where musical consistency matters more.

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 Discussion Guide

1. Opening Impressions

Ask: “What feelings or images come to mind when you hear Fallout 4’s music?”
Follow-up: “If you’ve played it, how did the soundtrack shape your exploration of the wasteland?”

2. Musical Identity & World-Building

Explore the contrast between:
- Inon Zur’s dark orchestral score.
- 1950s Americana songs on Diamond City Radio.
Prompt: “How does this blend of styles support the retro-futuristic setting?”

3. Adaptive Score Techniques

Discuss vertical remixing:
- Layers of tension added during danger.
- Gradual fade back to ambience after combat.
Ask: “Where have you noticed these transitions while exploring or fighting?”

4. Diegetic vs. Non-Diegetic Layers

Player-controlled radio as diegetic music vs. orchestral non-diegetic score.
Question: “How does switching the radio on/off change your immersion or mood?”

5. Design Takeaways

“What lessons can composers borrow for other post-apocalyptic or open-world games?”
“Would you lean on player-controlled music or fully adaptive scoring?”

Optional Listening Activity

Play a short clip:
- Radio song segment.
- Ambient orchestral theme.
- Combat transition.
Have students identify techniques (vertical remixing, horizontal re-sequencing).

Wrap-Up

Summarize key insights:
- Contrast of nostalgic radio and bleak orchestration.
- Smooth adaptive layering for tension.
- Player agency in shaping the soundscape.

The Music Team

Music director
- Oversees the creative direction of the music for a game
- Meets with composers, game designers, programmers, and all other members of the production team to draft a creative vision
Music producer
- Controls the creative vision of the musical recording itself
- Works with all the members to hire the musicians and engineers

The Music Team

Composer
- Writes music, working in collaboration with the music director and producer to match the creative vision of the game
- To create the score, the composer may use a computer-sequencing program such as Pro tools or Logic, or even, in some cases, pen and paper

The Music Team

Orchestrator
- Takes the music from the composer and either makes MIDI orchestrations or prepares parts and scores so that live humans can play the music if need be
- Works with notation programs such as Finale and Sibelius to get the music ready for recording
Recording engineer
- Deals with the nuts and bolts of recording the music for a game
- Records anything from live instruments to singers and needs a good working knowledge of recording studio technology and digital editing software

The Music Team

Mix engineer
- Takes the completed recordings from the studio and balances the instruments and parts to make sure the recorded elements sound great together in the game
Mastering engineer
- Produces and delivers the final tracks in the desired format for the game
- Has great ears and keen understanding of the platform the music will be integrated into